Electronic device and method for controlling screen

ABSTRACT

An electronic device and a method for controlling a screen are provided. The method for controlling the screen includes displaying an executed application on the screen; detecting reception of an event; and displaying a popup window comprising at least one piece of information corresponding to the received event on the displayed application.

PRIORITY

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to KoreanApplication Serial No. 10-2013-0105445, which was filed in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office on Sep. 3, 2013, the entire content ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to an electronic device and amethod for controlling a screen.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, various services and additional functions provided by anelectronic device have gradually expanded. In order to increase aneffective value of the electronic device and meet various demands ofusers, various applications executable by the electronic device havebeen developed.

Accordingly, at present, a large number of applications can be stored inthe electronic device, which is portable and has a touch screen. Theelectric device includes a smart phone, a mobile phone, a notebookPersonal Computer (PC), a tablet PC, and the like. Objects (or shortcuticons) for executing the respective applications are displayed on ascreen of the electronic device. Thus, users can execute a desiredapplication in the electronic device, by touching any of the shortcuticons displayed on the screen.

The users may desire to simultaneously perform at least two tasksthrough the electronic device. Accordingly, in order to satisfy thedesire of the users, if an event such as a voice call, a video call, ora text message is received while various applications including a game,the Internet, chatting, and the like are being used, the electronicdevice needs to simultaneously provide an operation corresponding to thereceived event and the task being performed by the users prior to thereception of the event.

As described above, according to the related art, if the event isreceived while the application is being displayed on the screen of theelectronic device, the users are provided with only the service for thereceived event and are not simultaneously provided with the displayedapplication and the service corresponding to the received event. Forexample, if an event is received while an arbitrary application is beingexecuted, the electronic device displays a screen corresponding to thereceived event on the top layer of the screen for acceptance orrejection for the received event, and therefore users cannotcontinuously perform the task through the previously displayedapplication and are inconvenienced by obstruction of the task due tosuch an event.

Thus, when the event is received while the task is being performedthrough the displayed application, the electronic device needs toprovide multi-tasking to the users by displaying the received event in apartial area of the displayed application.

SUMMARY

The present invention has been made to address at least the aboveproblems and disadvantages, and to provide at least the advantagesdescribed below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present disclosure is toprovide an electronic device and a method for controlling a screen.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a method ofcontrolling a screen of an electronic device includes displaying anexecuted application on the screen; detecting reception of an event; anddisplaying a popup window including at least one piece of informationcorresponding to the received event on the displayed application.

The application and the popup window may be simultaneously displayed onthe screen.

The popup window may be displayed on the displayed application whileoverlapping with the displayed application.

The popup window may be adjusted by at least one of size enlargement,size reduction, and location movement on the screen, and may betranslucently or opaquely displayed on the displayed application.

A display location of data included in the displayed application may bechanged on the screen in response to the adjusting of the popup window.

The popup window may be translucently displayed such that data of thedisplayed application overlapping with the popup window is viewed.

Data of the displayed application corresponding to an area of thedisplayed popup window may be displayed in a remaining area other thanthe area when the popup window is translucently displayed.

The popup window may be displayed while including additional informationof a user having transmitted the event when a command to enlarge a sizeof the popup window is received.

The event may include any one of a voice call, a video call, and textreception.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method ofcontrolling a screen of an electronic device includes displaying anexecuted application on the screen; generating a popup window includingat least one piece of information in response to reception of an event;and displaying the generated popup window on the displayed application.

The executed application and the popup window may be simultaneouslydisplayed on the screen.

The popup window may be adjusted by at least one of size enlargement,size reduction, and location movement, and may be displayed on thedisplayed application while overlapping with the displayed application.

Information included in the popup window in response to a command toenlarge or reduce a size of the popup window may be mutually identicalor different, or may be or may not be included.

Information included in the enlarged popup window may includeinformation included in the generated popup window and additionalinformation of a user having transmitted the event, when the commandincludes the command to enlarge the size of the popup window.

A display location of data included in the displayed application inresponse to movement of the popup window may be adjusted, and thedisplay location may be determined according to translucency or opacityof the popup window.

The display location of the data may not be changed and the data may betranslucently displayed when the popup window is translucentlydisplayed, and the data may be displayed on a lower side of the popupwindow when the popup window is opaquely displayed.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, anelectronic device for controlling a screen includes a screen thatdisplays at least one application; and a controller that detectsreception of an event, generates a popup window including at least onepiece of information corresponding to the received event, and displaysthe generated popup window on the displayed application.

The controller may display the popup window together with theapplication on the screen.

The controller may translucently or opaquely display the popup window onthe displayed application.

The controller may translucently display data of the displayedapplication corresponding to an area of the displayed popup window ormay display the data in a remaining area other than the area of thepopup window.

The controller may change an attribute of at least one of the popupwindow and an area of the application corresponding to an area of thepopup window in response to a command to control the popup window.

The controller may enlarge a size of the popup window and the enlargedpopup window may include information included in the displayed popupwindow and additional information of a user having transmitted theevent, when the command includes a command to enlarge the size of thepopup window.

The controller may translucently display data of the displayedapplication corresponding to an area of the enlarged popup window or maydisplay the data in a remaining area other than the area of the enlargedpopup window.

The controller may move a location of the popup window, and maytranslucently display data of the displayed application corresponding toan area of the moved popup window or may display the data in a remainingarea other than the area of the moved popup window, when the commandincludes a command to move the location of the popup window.

The controller may remove the displayed popup window and may perform avoice call while displaying the application, when the received eventincludes the voice call and a command to perform the voice call througha speaker is input.

The controller may display the generated popup window at a point otherthan a detected arbitrary point, when an input by a touch or hovering isdetected at the arbitrary point on the displayed application.

The present invention may include various embodiments without departingfrom the scope of the present invention in addition to theaforementioned various embodiments.

As described above, the present invention provides an electronic deviceand a method for controlling a screen, which can provide effectivemulti-tasking to users.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, anexecuted application is displayed on a screen and when reception of anevent is detected, a popup window including at least one piece ofinformation corresponding to the received event is displayed on thedisplayed application, whereby users can simultaneously perform a taskbefore the reception of the event and a task corresponding to the event.

Furthermore, according to another embodiment of the present invention,an executed application is displayed on a screen, a popup windowincluding at least one piece of information is generated in response toreception of an event, and the generated popup window is displayed onthe displayed application, whereby personal information of a user havingtransmitted the event can be grasped before the event is accepted.Moreover, according to another embodiment of the present invention, aprevious task in progress can be continuously performed even when avoice call is received, thereby providing more effective multi-tasking.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will be more apparent from the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an electronicdevice according to various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a screen ofan electronic device according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a screen ofan electronic device according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4A is a screen view illustrating an example of a state in which anapplication according to an embodiment of the present invention isdisplayed;

FIG. 4B is a screen view illustrating an example in which a popup windowis displayed in response to reception of an event while an applicationaccording to an embodiment of the present invention is displayed;

FIG. 4C is a screen view illustrating another example in which a popupwindow is displayed in response to reception of an event while anapplication according to an embodiment of the present invention isdisplayed;

FIG. 4D is a screen view illustrating an example in which an attributeto change a location of a displayed popup window is applied while anapplication according to an embodiment of the present invention isdisplayed;

FIG. 4E is a screen view illustrating another example in which anattribute to change a location of a displayed popup window is appliedwhile an application according to an embodiment of the present inventionis displayed;

FIG. 4F is a screen view illustrating another example in which anattribute to change a location of a displayed popup window is appliedwhile an application according to an embodiment of the present inventionis displayed;

FIG. 4G is a screen view illustrating another example in which anattribute to change a location of a displayed popup window is appliedwhile an application according to an embodiment of the present inventionis displayed;

FIG. 4H is a screen view illustrating an example in which an attributeto maximize a size of a popup window according to an embodiment of thepresent invention is applied;

FIG. 5A is a screen view illustrating an example in which a popup windowis displayed during a voice call while an application according to anembodiment of the present invention is being displayed;

FIG. 5B is a screen view illustrating another example in which a popupwindow is displayed during a voice call while an application accordingto an embodiment of the present invention is being displayed; and

FIG. 5C is a screen view illustrating an example of a selection resultof a rejection message menu in a popup window while an applicationaccording to an embodiment of the present invention is being displayed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention may have various modifications and embodiments andthus will be described with reference to specific embodiments in detail.Therefore, it should be understood that there is no intent to limitexample embodiments to the particular forms disclosed, but on thecontrary, example embodiments are intended to cover all modifications,equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention.

While terms including ordinal numbers, such as “first” and “second,”etc., may be used to describe various components, such components arenot limited by the above terms. The terms are used merely for thepurpose to distinguish an element from the other elements. For example,a first element could be referred to as a second element, and similarly,a second element could be also referred to as a first element withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. As used herein, theterm “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items.

The terms used herein are merely used to describe specific embodiments,and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, thesingular forms are intended to include the plural forms as well, unlessthe context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms such as “include”and/or “have” may be construed to denote a certain characteristic,number, step, operation, constituent element, component or a combinationthereof, but are not to construed to exclude the existence of or apossibility of addition of one or more other characteristics, numbers,steps, operations, constituent elements, components or combinationsthereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein have the same meaning ascommonly understood by those of skill in the art. Such terms as thosedefined in a generally used dictionary are to be interpreted to have themeanings equal to the contextual meanings in the relevant field of art,and are not to be interpreted to have ideal or excessively formalmeanings unless clearly defined in the present specification. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined herein.

Hereinafter, an operation principle for an embodiment of the presentinvention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. Hereinafter, in describing the present invention, detaileddescriptions related to well-known functions or configurations will beomitted when they may make subject matter of the present inventionunnecessarily obscure. The terms which will be described below are termsdefined in consideration of the functions in the present invention, andmay be different according to users, intentions of the users, orcustoms. Accordingly, the terms should be defined based on the contentsover the whole present specification.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an electronicdevice according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, the electronic device 100 may be connected with anexternal device by using at least one of a communication unit 140, aconnector, and an earphone connecting jack. The external device mayinclude various devices attached to or detached from the electronicdevice 100 through a wire, such as an earphone, an external speaker, aUniversal Serial Bus (USB) memory, a charger, a cradle/dock, a DigitalMultimedia Broadcasting (DMB) antenna, a mobile payment related device,a health management device (blood sugar tester or the like), a gamemachine, a car navigation device, and the like. Further, the externaldevice may include a Bluetooth communication device, a Near FieldCommunication (NFC) device, a Wi-Fi Direct communication device, and awireless Access Point (AC) which can be wirelessly connected. Theelectronic device may be connected with another device, for example, amobile terminal, a smart phone, a tablet PC, a desktop PC, a digitizer,an input device, a camera, a server, or the like in a wired or wirelessmanner.

Referring to FIG. 1, the electronic device 100 includes at least onescreen 120 and at least one screen controller 130. Further, theelectronic device 100 includes the screen 120, the screen controller130, the communication unit 140, an input/output unit 150, a powersupply unit 160 and a storage unit 170.

The electronic device of the present invention is a mobile terminal thatcan perform data transmission/reception, a voice call, and a video call,and may include at least one screen. The screen may display a resultexecuted in at least one application. The electronic device includes asmart phone, a tablet Personal Computer (PC), a 3D-TeleVision (TV), asmart TV, a Light Emitting Diode (LED) TV, a Liquid Crystal Display(LCD) TV, a tablet PC, and may includes all devices that can communicatewith a peripheral device or another terminal located at a remote place.Further, the at least one screen included in the electronic device mayreceive an input by at least one of a touch and a hovering event.

The electronic device 100 includes at least one screen 120 providing auser interface corresponding to various services (e.g., a call, datatransmission, broadcasting, photographing, a text input, and the like)to a user. The screen may include a hovering recognition device 121 thatrecognizes an input using hovering of at least one of an input unit anda finger and a touch recognition device 122 that recognizes an inputusing a touch of at least one of a finger and an input unit. Thehovering recognition device 121 and the touch recognition device 122 maybe referred to as a hovering recognition panel and a touch panel,respectively. The screen 120 transmits an analog signal corresponding toat least one touch or hovering event input to a user interface to thecorresponding screen controller. As described above, the electronicdevice 100 may include a plurality of screens, and each of the screensmay include a screen controller receiving an analog signal correspondingto a touch or a hovering event. The screens may be connected to aplurality of housings through hinge connections, respectively, or theplurality of screens may be located in one housing without the hingeconnection. The electronic device 100 according to various embodimentsof the present invention may include at least one screen as describedabove, and one screen will be described hereinafter for convenience ofdescription.

The input unit according to various embodiments of the present inventionmay include at least one of a finger, an electronic pen, a digital pen,a pen without an integrated circuit, a pen with an integrated circuit, apen with an integrated circuit and a memory, a pen capable of performingshort distance communication, a pen with an additional ultrasonicdetector, a pen with an optical sensor, a joystick, and a stylus pen,which can provide a command or an input to the electronic device bycontact or non-contact such as hovering on a digitizer.

A controller 110 controls overall operation of the electronic device 100and the components therein, and may include a Central Processing Unit(CPU), a Read Only Memory (ROM) storing a control program forcontrolling the electronic device 100, and a Random Access Memory (RAM)used as a storage area for storing a signal or data input from theoutside of the electronic device 100 or for work performed in theelectronic device 100. The CPU may include a single core, a dual core, atriple core, or a quadruple core.

The controller 110 controls at least one of the screen 120, the hoveringrecognition device 121, the touch recognition device 122, the screencontroller 130, the communication unit 140, an input/output unit 150, apower supply unit 160 and a storage unit 170.

The controller 110 determines whether hovering according to proximity ofvarious input units to any object is recognized and identifies theobject corresponding to a location where the hovering has occurred, in astate where various objects or an input text is displayed on the screen120. The controller 110 may detect a height from the electronic device100 to the input unit, and may also detect a hovering input eventaccording to the height, in which the hovering input event may includeat least one of a push of a button formed in the input unit, a tap onthe input unit, a movement of the input unit at a speed higher than apredetermined speed, and a touch on an object.

The controller 110 according to an embodiment of the present inventiondisplays an executed application on the screen 120, and when receivingan event, displays a popup window including at least one piece ofinformation corresponding to the received event on the displayedapplication. The information included in the popup window may bedifferent according to a type of event. The at least one piece ofinformation is a command previously determined according to the type ofevent, and a user may control the received event through thepredetermined command. For example, when the event corresponds to avoice call or a video call, the information included in the popup windowmay include at least one of a sender's name, a sender's photo, asender's phone number, a reception menu for starting the call, a speakermenu for starting the call through a speaker, a rejection message menufor transmitting a message to the sender to inform the sender of astatus of not receiving the call, and a rejection menu for rejecting thecall. Further, when the received event corresponds to a text message,the information included in the popup window may include at least one ofa sender's name, a sender's photo, a sender's phone number, a reply menufor transmitting a reply to the received text, a view menu for viewingthe received text, a deletion menu for deleting the received text, and acancel menu for viewing the received text later. The menus may bebasically provided by a manufacturer of the electronic device.

The controller 110 simultaneously displays the executed application andthe popup window. The popup window may be displayed on the displayedapplication while overlapping with the displayed application. The popupwindow may be adjusted on the screen by at least one of sizeenlargement, size reduction, and location movement, and may betranslucently or opaquely displayed on the displayed application. Thecontroller 110 may enlarge the popup window in response to a command toenlarge the size of the popup window, reduce the popup window inresponse to a command to reduce the size of the popup window, or changethe location of the popup window in response to a command to move thelocation of the popup window. Further, the controller 110 maysimultaneously execute at least one of the size enlargement, the sizereduction, and the location movement in response to the at least onecommand.

The controller 110 may change a display location of data included in thedisplayed application in response to the adjustment of the popup window.The controller 110 may change an attribute of the popup window inresponse to at least one of the size enlargement, the size reduction,and the location movement of the popup window, and may change attributesof data of the displayed application corresponding to an area of theattribute changed popup window. The controller 110 may translucently oropaquely display the attribute changed popup window on the displayedapplication. When the popup window is translucently displayed, the dataof the displayed application overlapping with the popup window istranslucently displayed. When the popup window is opaquely displayed,data of the displayed application corresponding to an area of thedisplayed popup window is displayed in the remaining area other than thearea without overlapping with the area. The controller 110 may displaythe data of the displayed application corresponding to the area of thedisplayed popup window in an area other than the area where the popupwindow is displayed. When receiving the command to enlarge the size ofthe popup window, the controller 110 may include additional informationof a user having transmitted the event in the enlarged popup window. Thecontroller 110 may include information basically provided correspondingto the received event (e.g., at least one of a sender's name, a sender'sphone number, a reception menu, a speaker menu, a rejection messagemenu, and a rejection menu) and the user's additional information in theenlarged popup window. The additional information includes a sender'spersonal information (e.g., a sender's birthday, information on aschedule by appointment with a sender, and the like). When the event isreceived from the sender, the user may be reminded of memories for thesender. The controller 110 may include at least one piece of informationin the popup window in correspondence to the enlargement of the popupwindow. The event may be any one of a voice call, a video call and textreception.

A controller 110 according to another embodiment of the presentinvention displays an executed application on the screen 120, generatesa popup window including at least one piece of information in responseto reception of an event, and displays the generated popup window on thedisplayed application. As described above, 25 the controller 110simultaneously display the executed application and the popup window onthe screen 120. The controller 110 may opaquely or translucently displaythe popup window on the screen 120 by controlling an attribute of thepopup window. The controller 110 may display the popup window such thatthe popup window overlaps with the executed application, or may displaydata included in the executed application by moving the data to alocation where the data does not overlap with the popup window. Thecontroller 110 may change an attribute of the popup window in responseto at least one command for size enlargement, size reduction, andlocation movement of the popup window, and may superpose and display theattribute changed popup window on the displayed application.

The controller 110 detects at least one command of a touch and ahovering event input for the size enlargement or reduction of the popupwindow and enlarges or reduces the size of the popup window to alocation where the input is completed. The controller 110 adjustsinformation to be displayed in the enlarged or reduced popup window anddisplays the adjusted information in the popup window. Further, thecontroller 110 controls the screen 120 such that data of the displayedapplication corresponding to an area of the enlarged or reduced popupwindow is opaquely or translucently displayed. If the commandcorresponds to a command to enlarge the size of the popup window, thecontroller 110 enlarges the popup window and includes informationcontained in the popup window displayed on the screen 120 and additionalinformation of a user having transmitted the event in the enlarged popupwindow. The controller 110 adjusts a display location of the dataincluded in the displayed application in response to the movement of thepopup window. Further, the controller 110 may translucently or opaquelychange an attribute of the popup window, and the display location of thedata may be determined according to the translucency or opacity of thepopup window. When the popup window is translucent, the display locationof the data may not be changed and the data may be displayed in atranslucent status. Further, when the popup window is opaque, the datamay be displayed below the popup window. The application includes anapplication for displaying a text, and the event includes a voice call.

Further, when reception of an event is detected in a state where atleast one application is displayed on the screen 120, a controller 110according to another embodiment of the present disclosure generates apopup window including at least one piece of information correspondingto the received event and displays the generated popup window on thedisplayed application. The event may include at least one of a voicecall, a video call and a text message. The application may include anapplication capable of displaying a text such as news. If the receivedevent corresponds to a voice call and a command to perform the voicecall through a speaker is input, the controller 110 removes thedisplayed popup window and performs the voice call while displaying theapplication. When a command to perform the call through a speaker isinput in the various telephone call methods, the controller 110 mayterminate or remove the displayed popup window and perform the callwhile displaying the application shortly before the reception of theevent on the screen 120.

When detecting an input by a touch or a hovering event at an arbitrarypoint on the displayed application, the controller 110 displays thegenerated popup window at a point other than the detected arbitrarypoint. A user inputs a command by using a touch or a hovering event onthe displayed application. The command includes a command to selectdisplayed data (e.g., in a case of a text, a command to select or copy aportion of the text). The controller 110 detects an input of the commandand grasps a point where the command is input, while the application isdisplayed on the screen 120. The controller 110 may grasp a size of thegenerated popup window and display the generated popup window in an areaother than the point where the input has been detected, so as to preventthe generated popup window from being displayed at the input detectionpoint.

The controller 110 may display the popup window together with theapplication on the screen. The controller 110 may simultaneously displaythe popup window and the application on the screen 120. The controller110 may translucently or opaquely display the popup window on thedisplayed application. The controller 110 may translucently display dataof the displayed application corresponding to an area of the displayedpopup window or may display the data in the remaining area other thanthe area of the popup window. Further, the data of the applicationcorresponding to the area where the popup window is displayed may behidden by the popup window, in which case the controller 110 may controlat least one of the application and the screen 120 such that the datahidden by the display area of the popup window is displayed in theremaining area other than the area where the popup window is displayed.For example, the controller 110 may display the data of the applicationon an upper, lower, left, or right side of the popup window. When thedisplayed application corresponds to news or a newspaper article basedon a text, the controller 110 extracts the displayed text and displaysthe extracted text on a lower, upper, left, or right side of the popupwindow. A display location of the text may be adaptively determinedcorresponding to at least one of location movement and size adjustmentof the popup window. When the popup window is displayed while theapplication is being displayed, data of the displayed applicationcorresponding to an area of the displayed popup window may be hidden, inwhich case the controller 110 may simultaneously display the popupwindow and the data in the same area, by adjusting transparency of thepopup window and the corresponding data of the application hidden by thepopup window to translucency. The transparency may be adjusted by thecontroller 110 to a degree that can be recognized by a user.

The controller 110 changes an attribute of at least one of the popupwindow and an area of the application corresponding to the area of thepopup window in response to a command to control the popup window. Theattribute of the displayed popup window may be changed by at least oneof size enlargement, size reduction, and location movement. Theattribute of the area of the application corresponding to the area ofthe popup window may be changed in correspondence to the changedattribute of the popup window. When the command corresponds to a commandto enlarge a size of the popup window, the controller 110 enlarges thesize of the popup window. In this case, the enlarged popup window mayinclude information included in the popup window displayed correspondingto reception of an event and additional information of a user havingtransmitted the event. The additional information may include a sender'spersonal information (e.g., a sender's birthday, information on aschedule by appointment with a sender, and the like). When the event isreceived from the sender, the user may be reminded of memories for thesender, and the additional information may include information usefulfor reminding the user of the memories. As described above, thecontroller 110 may include at least one piece of information in thepopup window in correspondence to the enlargement of the popup window.

The controller 110 may translucently display data of the displayedapplication corresponding to an area of the enlarged popup window or maydisplay the data in the remaining area other than the area of theenlarged popup window. The controller 110 may translucently or opaquelydisplay the enlarged and/or moved popup window on the displayedapplication. Further, the controller 110 may translucently display thedata of the displayed application corresponding to the area of theenlarged and/or moved popup window or may display the data in theremaining area other than the area of the enlarged and/or moved popupwindow. Further, the data of the application corresponding to the areawhere the enlarged and/or moved popup window is displayed may be hiddenby the popup window, in which case the controller 110 may control atleast one of the application and the screen 120 such that the datahidden by the display area of the popup window is displayed in theremaining area other than the area where the enlarged and/or moved popupwindow is displayed. For example, the controller 110 may display thedata of the application on an upper, lower, left, or right side of theenlarged and/or moved popup window. When the displayed applicationcorresponds to news or a newspaper article based on a text, thecontroller 110 may extract the displayed text and may display theextracted text on a lower, upper, left, or right side of the popupwindow. A display location of the text may be adaptively determinedcorresponding to at least one of location movement and size adjustmentof the popup window. The screen 120 receives at least one touch througha user's body (e.g., the fingers) or a touchable input unit (e.g., astylus pen or an electronic pen). Further, the screen 120 includes thehovering recognition device 121 and the touch recognition device 122which can properly recognize an input according to an input method whenthe input is made through a pen such as a stylus pen or an electronicpen. The hovering recognition device 121 may determine a distancebetween the pen and the screen 120 through a magnetic field, anultrasonic wave, optical information, or a surface acoustic wave, andthe touch recognition device 122 may detect a touched location by usingelectrical charge moved by a touch. The touch recognition device 122 maydetect all touches that can generate static electricity and may alsodetect a touch by a finger or a pen which is an input unit. The screen120 transmits an analog signal corresponding to at least one gesture tothe screen controller 130.

In various embodiments of the present invention, the touch is notlimited to contact between the screen 120 and a user's body or atouchable input unit, and may include non-contact (e.g., a detectableinterval without the contact between the screen 120 and the user's bodyor the touchable input unit). The interval which can be detected by thescreen 120 may be changed according to a capability or a structure ofthe electronic device 100, and, for example, the screen 120 isconfigured such that values detected by a touch event and a hoveringevent (e.g., including a voltage or current value as an analog value)may be differently output for separate detection of the touch event bythe contact between the screen 120 and the user's body or the touchableinput unit and the input event (e.g., the hovering event) in acontactless status. In addition, the screen 120 may differently outputthe detected value (e.g., a current value) according to a distancebetween a space where the hovering event is generated and the screen120.

The hovering recognition device 121 or the touch recognition device 122may be implemented, for example, in a resistive type, a capacitive type,an infrared type, or an acoustic wave type.

The hovering recognition device 121 is an ElectroMagnetic Resonance(EMR) type touch panel and may include an electromagnetic induction coilsensor having a grid structure in which a plurality of loop coils arearranged in a predetermined first direction and a second directionintersecting with the first direction and an electronic signal processorsequentially providing an alternating current signal having apredetermined frequency to each of the loop coils of the electromagneticinduction coil sensor. If an input unit including a resonance circuittherein exists in the vicinity of the loop coils of the hoveringrecognition device 121, a magnetic field transmitted from thecorresponding loop coil generates a current based on mutualelectromagnetic induction in the resonance circuit within the inputunit. An induction magnetic field is generated, based on the current,from a coil that configures a resonance circuit within the input unit,the hovering recognition device 121 detects the induction magnetic fieldaround the loop coil in a signal reception state to sense a hoveringlocation or a touch location of the input unit and a height from thetouch recognition device 122 to a pen point of the input unit.

The touch recognition device 122 is a capacitive touch panel in which athin metal conductive material (e.g., an Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) film) iscoated on opposite surfaces of glass such that a current flows on theglass surface and a dielectric substance capable of storing electricalcharges is coated thereon. When the input unit (e.g., a user's finger ora pen) is touched on a surface of the touch recognition device 122, apredetermined amount of electric charge moves to a touched location dueto static electricity, and the touch recognition device 122 detects thetouched location through recognizing a variation in a current accordingto the movement of the electric charge. Through the touch recognitiondevice 122, all touches that can generate static electricity may bedetected and a touch by a finger or a pen which is an input unit mayalso be detected.

Further, the screen 120 may include at least two touch screen panelswhich can detect touches or approaches of the user's body and thetouchable input unit in order to sequentially or simultaneously receiveinputs by the user's body and the touchable input unit. The at least twotouch screen panels provide different output values to the screencontroller, and the screen controller may differently recognize thevalues input into the at least two touch screen panels to distinguishwhether the input from the screen 120 is an input by the user's body oran input by the touchable input unit. The screen 120 may display atleast one object or input text.

More specifically, the screen 120 may be formed in a structure in whicha touch panel detecting an input by a finger or an input unit through achange in an induced electromotive force and a panel detecting contactof a finger or an input unit on the screen 120 are attached to eachother or spaced apart from each other to be stacked in sequence. Thescreen 120 includes a plurality of pixels, and may display an image orhandwriting input by an input unit or a finger through the pixels. Thescreen 120 may be a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), an Organic LightEmitting Diode (OLED) display, or a Light Emitting Diode (LED) display.

Further, the screen 120 may include a plurality of sensors fordetermining a location of a finger or an input unit when the finger orthe input unit contacts a surface of the screen 120 or is spaced apredetermined distance apart from the screen 120. Each of the pluralityof sensors may be formed in a coil structure, and in a sensor layerformed of the plurality of sensors, the sensors may have preset patternsand may form a plurality of electrode lines. Due to the structure, whencontact is generated on the screen 120 through a finger or an inputunit, a detection signal of which a waveform is changed on account ofcapacity between the sensor layer and the input unit is generated, andthe screen 120 may transmit the generated detection signal to thecontroller 10. The predetermined distance between the input unit and thehovering recognition device 121 may be determined through an intensityof a magnetic field formed by the coil.

The screen controller 130 converts an analog signal received by a textinput to the screen 120 to a digital signal (e.g., X and Y coordinates),and transmits the digital signal to the controller 110. The controller110 controls the screen 120 by using the digital signal received fromthe screen controller 130. For example, the controller 110 may allow ashort-cut icon or an object displayed on the screen 120 to be selectedor executed in response to a touch event or a hovering event. Further,the screen controller 130 may be included in the controller 110.

Further, the screen controller 130 identifies a distance between a spacewhere a hovering event is generated and the screen 120 by detecting avalue (e.g., a current value) output through the screen 120, andconverts the identified distance value to a digital signal (e.g., a Zcoordinate) to provide the digital signal to the controller 110.

The communication unit 140 may include a mobile communication unit, asub-communication unit, a wireless LAN unit, and a short distancecommunication unit according to a communication method, a transmissiondistance, and the type of transmitted/received data. The mobilecommunication unit allows the electronic device 100 to be connected withan external device through mobile communication using at least oneantenna (one or a plurality of antennas) under the control of thecontroller 110. The mobile communication unit may transmit/receive awireless signal for a voice call, a video call, a text message (SMS), ora multimedia message (MMS) to/from a cellular phone of which the phonenumber is input to the electronic device 100, a smart phone, a tabletPC, or other devices. The sub-communication unit may include at leastone of the wireless LAN unit and the short distance communication unit.For example, the sub-communication unit may include only the wirelessLAN unit or only the short distance communication unit. Alternatively,the sub-communication unit may include both the wireless LAN unit andthe short distance communication unit. Further, the sub-communicationunit may transmit/receive a control signal to/from an input unit. Thecontrol signal transmitted/received between the electronic device 100and the input unit may include at least one of a field for supplyingelectrical power to the input unit, a field for detecting a touch orhovering between the input unit and the screen 120, a field fordetecting a push or an input of a button included in the input unit, anidentifier of the input unit, and a field for representing X and Ycoordinates where the input unit is located. Further, the input unit maytransmit, to the electronic device 100, a feedback signal for thecontrol signal received from the electronic device 100. The wireless LANunit may access the Internet under the control of the controller 110 ina place where a wireless Access Point (AP) is installed. The wirelessLAN unit supports a wireless LAN protocol (IEEE 802.11x ) of theInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The shortdistance communication unit may wirelessly perform short distancecommunication between the electronic device 100 and an image formingapparatus (not illustrated) under the control of the controller 110. Ashort distance communication scheme may include Bluetooth, Infrared DataAssociation (IrDA) communication, WiFi-Direct communication, Near FieldCommunication (NFC) and the like.

The controller 110 communicates with an adjacent communication device ora remotely located communication device through at least one of thesub-communication unit and the wireless LAN unit, controls reception ofvarious data including an image, an emoticon, a photo, and the likethrough an internet network, and communicates with an input unit. Suchcommunication may be made by using transmission/reception of a controlsignal.

The electronic device 100 may include at least one of the mobilecommunication unit, the wireless LAN unit, and the short distancecommunication unit according to a capacity thereof. The electronicdevice 100 may include combinations of the mobile communication unit,the wireless LAN unit, and the short distance communication unitaccording to a capacity thereof. In various embodiments of the presentinvention, at least one or combinations of the mobile communicationunit, the wireless LAN unit, the screen, and the short distancecommunication unit are referred to as a transmission/reception unit.This does not reduce the scope of the present invention.

The input/output unit 150 includes at least one of a plurality ofbuttons, a microphone, a speaker, a vibration motor, a connector, akeypad, an earphone connecting jack, and an input unit. The input/outputunit is not limited thereto, and a cursor control such as a mouse, atrack ball, a joystick, or cursor direction keys may be provided tocontrol cursor movement on the screen 120 through communication with thecontroller 110. In the input/output unit 150, the speaker may output asound corresponding to control of at least one page displayed on thescreen 120, and the vibration motor may also output a vibrationcorresponding to control of at least one page displayed on the screen120.

The power supply unit 160 supplies electrical power to one battery or aplurality of batteries arranged in the housing of the electronic device100 under the control of the controller 110. The one or more batteriessupply electrical power to the electronic device 100. Further, the powersupply unit 160 may supply, to the electronic device 100, electricalpower input from an external power source through a wired cableconnected to a connector. In addition, the power supply unit 160 maysupply, to the electronic device 100, electrical power wirelessly inputfrom the external power source through a wireless charging technology.

The storage unit 170 may stores a signal or data input/outputcorresponding to an operation of the communication unit 140, amultimedia unit, the screen 120, and the input/output unit 150 under thecontrol of the controller 110. Further, the storage unit 170 stores aplurality of phone numbers and schedule information, and stores acontrol program for control of the electronic device 100 or thecontroller 110 and applications.

The storage unit 170 may include a nonvolatile memory, a volatilememory, a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), or a Solid State Drive (SSD).

Further, the storage unit 170 stores at least one of a character, aword, and a text input to the screen 120, and stores various dataincluding a text, an image, an emoticon, an icon, and the like which auser receives through an Internet network. Moreover, the storage unit170 stores various applications such as a navigation application, avideo call application, a game application, a time-based alarmapplication, and the like; images for providing a Graphical UserInterface (GUI) related to the applications; a database or data relatedto user information, documents and methods for processing a touch-input;background images (e.g., a menu screen, a standby screen, etc.) oroperating programs required for operating the electronic device 100; andimages photographed by a camera unit of the electronic device. Thestorage unit 170 may be a machine (e.g., a computer)-readable medium,and the term “machine-readable medium” may be defined as a medium forproviding data to the machine such that the machine may perform aspecific function. The machine-readable medium may be a storage medium.The storage unit 170 includes a nonvolatile medium and a volatilemedium. All of these media should be a type that allows the commandstransferred by the media to be detected by a physical instrument intowhich the machine reads the commands.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a screen ofan electronic device according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

A screen 120 displays a currently executed application, in step S210.The controller 110 displays the application selected or pre-designatedby a user on the screen 120. The application includes predetermineddata, and the predetermined data may be displayed on the screen 120. Thepredetermined data may be different according to a type of application.A location where the predetermined data is displayed may be adjusted bythe controller 110.

When it is determined in step S212 that an event has been received, thecontroller 110 generates a popup window including informationcorresponding to the received event, in step S214. The event may includeat least one of a voice call, a video call and a text message. Thepresent invention may also be applied to a case of receiving an eventirrespective of a user's intention while the user performs a taskthrough the application, in addition to the voice call, the video calland the text message.

The generated popup window may include information on a user havingtransmitted the event. For example, as described above, when the eventcorresponds to the voice call, the information included in the generatedpopup window may include at least one of a sender's name, a sender'sphone number, a reception menu for starting the call, a speaker menu forstarting the call through a speaker, a rejection message menu fortransmitting a message to a sender to inform of a status of notreceiving the call, and a rejecting menu for rejecting the call. Whenthe event corresponds to the text message, the information included inthe popup window may include at least one of a sender's name, a sender'sphoto, a sender's phone number, a reply menu for transmitting a reply tothe received text, a view menu for viewing the received text, a deletionmenu for deleting the received text, and a cancel menu for viewing thereceived text later.

As described above, an attribute of the generated popup window may bechanged in response to at least one command of size enlargement, sizereduction, and location movement. When the command corresponds to acommand to enlarge a size of the popup window, the controller 110 mayenlarge the size of the popup window and may include, in the enlargedpopup window, personal information (e.g., a sender's birthday,information on a schedule by appointment with the sender, and the like)of the user having transmitted the event as well as the aforementionedinformation basically provided. When the event is received from thesender, the user of an electronic device 100 may be reminded of a memoryfor the sender through the additional information. When the commandcorresponds to a command to move a location of the popup window, thecontroller 110 may move the location of the popup window.

The controller 110 displays the popup window generated in step S214 onthe executed application, in step S216. As described, above, thecontroller 110 displays the generated popup window on an upper layer ora lower layer of the currently executed application while the popupwindow overlaps the application. The controller 110 may display thecurrently executed application and the generated popup windowsimultaneously or all together on the screen 120. The controller 110 maytranslucently or opaquely display the popup window on the displayedapplication. Further, the controller 110 may translucently display thedata of the displayed application which may be hidden by the displayedpopup window, or may display the data in the remaining area other thanan area of the popup window. As described above, the controller 110 mayadjust the display location of the data of the displayed applicationcorresponding to the popup window. For example, when the popup window isopaquely displayed, the controller 110 may display the data of thedisplayed application corresponding to the area of the displayed popupwindow in the remaining area other than the area of the popup window.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a screen ofan electronic device according to another embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

A screen 120 displays a currently executed application, in step S310. Acontroller 110 displays an application selected or pre-designated by auser on the screen 120. The application includes predetermined data, andthe predetermined data may be displayed on the screen 120. A locationwhere the predetermined data is displayed may be adjusted by thecontroller 110. The application may include a text based application.

The controller 110 displays a popup window including informationcorresponding to the received event on the screen 120, in step S312. Theevent may include at least one of a voice call, a video call and a textmessage. The information included in the popup window may be differentaccording to a type of event. The controller 110 may simultaneouslydisplay the application and the popup window on the screen 120. Further,the controller 110 may display the popup window on the application whilethe popup window overlaps the application. The controller 110 maytranslucently display the popup window on the application, or maytranslucently display the data of the application corresponding to anarea where the popup window is displayed. Further, the controller 110may opaquely display the popup window on the application, and at thistime, may display the data of the application corresponding to the areaof the opaquely displayed popup window in the remaining area other thanthe area of the popup window. The controller 110 may display the data ofthe application on an upper, lower, left, or right side of the popupwindow. The location where the data of the application is displayed maybe changed according to translucency or opacity of the popup window.

When it is determined in step S314 that a command to change an attributeof the popup window has been input, the controller 110 changes anattribute of at least one of the popup window and the area of theapplication corresponding to the popup window of which the attribute isto be changed and displays the popup window and the application inresponse to the input command, in step S316. The command may include atleast one of size enlargement, size reduction, and location movement.Further, the command may include a command to allow the opaquelydisplayed popup window to be translucently or transparently displayed.At least two of the size enlargement, the size reduction, and thelocation movement may be simultaneously performed. The controller 110may change the attribute of the displayed popup window and may changethe attribute of the application in correspondence to the changedattribute of the popup window, when the command is input. The controller110 may change an attribute of at least one of the popup window and thearea of the application corresponding to the area of the popup window inresponse to a command to control the attribute of the popup window.

If the command corresponds to a command to enlarge a size of the popupwindow, the controller 110 enlarges the size of the popup window.Further, the controller 110 may include, in the enlarged popup window,at least one piece of information included in the popup window displayedin step S312 and additional information of a user having transmitted theevent. The additional information may differ according to the receivedevent. The additional information may include a sender's personalinformation (e.g., a sender's birthday, information on a schedule byappointment with a sender, and the like). For example, when the receivedevent corresponds to a voice call, the additional information mayinclude information stored by a user, such as a date and time when thelatest call has been made and a date, time, and a place for meeting byappointment with the user having transmitted the event. Further, whenthe received event corresponds to a text message, the additionalinformation may include information stored by the user, such as contentsof a recently transmitted/received text and a date, time, and a placefor meeting by appointment with the user having transmitted the event.The controller 110 may extract the information on the user havingtransmitted the event from a storage unit 170 in response to thereceived event, and may generate and display the popup window. Theadditional information may include information to help the user bereminded of a memory for the user having transmitted the event inresponse to the event reception.

The controller 110 may translucently display data of the applicationcorresponding to an area of the enlarged popup window or may display thedata in the remaining area other than the area of the enlarged popupwindow. If the command corresponds to a command to move a location ofthe popup window, the controller 110 moves the location of the popupwindow, and translucently displays data of the displayed applicationcorresponding to an area of the moved popup window, or displays the datain the remaining area other than the area of the moved popup window.

When the event received in step S312 corresponds to a voice call and acommand to perform the voice call through a speaker is input, thecontroller 110 may cancel or remove the displayed popup window and mayperform the voice call while displaying the application. In this case,the displayed application may provide, to the user, various functionsthat may be performed before the user receives the voice call. Further,when an input by at least one of a touch and hovering at an arbitrarypoint on the displayed application is detected, the controller 110displays the popup window displayed in response to the event receptionat another point or area other than the arbitrary point.

FIGS. 4A to 4H are screen views illustrating examples of a process ofcontrolling a screen of an electronic device according to an embodimentof the present invention.

Although a voice call is received as an event in FIGS. 4A to 4H, this isonly an embodiment and the present invention may also be applied to atleast one of a video call and a text message in addition to the voicecall. Hereinafter, a case in which an event corresponding to the voicecall according to the embodiment of the present invention is receivedwill be described.

FIG. 4A is a screen view illustrating an example of a state in which anapplication according to an embodiment of the present invention isdisplayed.

Referring to FIG. 4A, an electronic device 410 displays an application430 on a screen 420. Such an application may be diverse, and may beselected or pre-designated by a user. Although a text based newspaperarticle is displayed in FIG. 4A, this is only an embodiment, and variousembodiments of the present invention may also be applied to variousapplications, of which data may be changed in attribute, besides thenewspaper article.

FIG. 4B is a screen view illustrating an example in which a popup windowis displayed in response to reception of an event while an applicationaccording to an embodiment of the present invention is displayed.

FIG. 4C is a screen view illustrating another example in which a popupwindow is displayed in response to reception of an event while anapplication according to an embodiment of the present invention isdisplayed.

Referring to FIGS. 4B and 4C, the electronic device 410 displays theapplication 430 and a popup window 440 corresponding to a received eventon the screen 420. The popup window 440 may differ according to a typeof event, and may be opaquely displayed on the application 430 to blockout a portion of application 430 while overlapping with the application430 as illustrated in FIG. 4B. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 4C, thepopup window 440 may be translucently displayed on the application 430,while overlapping with the application, in which case data 449 displayedin a corresponding area of the application overlapping with an area ofthe popup window may be translucently displayed. The user maysimultaneously identify the popup window 440 and the data 449 in theoverlapping area. When the popup window is opaquely displayed asdescribed above with regard to FIG. 4B, some data of the applicationdisplayed in FIG. 4A may be hidden by the opaquely displayed popupwindow. For example, when the event corresponds to a voice call, thepopup window 440 includes at least one of information such as a name, aphoto 441, and a phone number of a sender having transmitted the event,a reception menu 442 for starting the call, a speaker menu 443 forstarting the call through a speaker, a rejection message menu 444 fortransmitting a message to the sender to inform the sender of a status ofnot receiving the call, and a rejection menu 445 for rejecting the call.Further, the popup window 440 may include an icon 448 showing that thecall is currently being received. Among the aforementioned information,the name and the photo of the sender is information extracted in a stateof having been stored in advance by the user. The remaining informationmay be basically provided from a manufacturer of the electronic deviceor a communication company. Further, the popup window 440 may beprovided with an attribute changing menu 447 for changing an attributeof the popup window, and a location of the popup window may be changedor a size of the popup window may be adjusted through the attributechanging menu 447. However, changing the attribute of the popup windowthrough the attribute changing menu 447 is only an embodiment, and theattribute of the popup window may also be changed through at least oneof a touch and a hovering event input to any area of the popup widow440. For example, through touching an arbitrary point of the popupwindow 440 and performing a drag, the location of the popup window maybe changed or the size of the popup window may be adjusted.

FIG. 4D is a screen view illustrating an example in which an attributeto change a location of a displayed popup window is applied while anapplication according to an embodiment of the present invention isdisplayed.

FIG. 4E is a screen view illustrating another example in which anattribute to change a location of a displayed popup window is appliedwhile an application according to an embodiment of the present inventionis displayed.

Referring to FIGS. 4D and 4E, the electronic device 410 displays anapplication 430 and a popup window 450 corresponding to a received eventon the screen 420. Information included in the popup window 450displayed in FIG. 4D may be the same as that included in the popupwindow 440 displayed in FIG. 4B. For example, when the event correspondsto a voice call, a user may identify a sender through a name, a photo451, and a phone number of the sender, which are included in the popupwindow. Based on the identification result, the user of the electronicdevice 410 may select a reception menu 452 when wanting to make a callwith the sender, may select a speaker menu 453 when wanting to start thecall through a speaker, may select a desired message through a rejectionmessage menu 454 when wanting to inform of a state of not being able toreceive the call, or may select a rejection menu 455 when wanting toreject the call. Further, a location of the popup window may be changedor a size of the popup window may be adjusted through an attributechanging menu 457. Alternatively, at least one of size adjustment andlocation change of the popup window may be performed through theattribute changing menu 457. As illustrated in FIG. 4D, datacorresponding to an area of the displayed application which may behidden by the popup window 450 may be displayed on a lower side of thepopup window 450. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 4E, the popup window450 may be translucently displayed on the application, while overlappingthe application, in which case data 459 displayed in a correspondingarea of the application overlapping an area of the popup window may betranslucently displayed. The user may simultaneously identify theinformation in the popup window 450 and the data 459 in the overlappingarea.

FIG. 4F is a screen view illustrating another example in which anattribute to change a location of a displayed popup window is appliedwhile an application according to an embodiment of the present inventionis displayed.

FIG. 4G is a screen view illustrating another example in which anattribute to change a location of a displayed popup window is appliedwhile an application according to an embodiment of the present inventionis displayed.

Referring to FIGS. 4F and 4G, the electronic device 410 displays anapplication 430 and a popup window 460 corresponding to a received eventon the screen 420. Information included in the popup window 460displayed in FIG. 4F may be the same as that included in the popupwindow 440 of FIG. 4B and that included in the popup window 450 of FIG.4D. As illustrated in FIG. 4F, data corresponding to an area of thedisplayed application 430 which may be hidden by the popup window 460may be displayed in the remaining area other than the area correspondingto the popup window 450. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 4G, the popupwindow 460 may be translucently displayed on the application 430, whileoverlapping the application, in which case data 431 displayed in acorresponding area of the application overlapping an area of the popupwindow may be translucently displayed. The user may simultaneouslyidentify the information in the popup window 460 and the data 431 in theoverlapping area.

FIG. 4H is a screen view illustrating an example in which an attributeto maximize a size of a popup window according to an embodiment of thepresent invention is applied.

Referring to FIG. 4H, the electronic device 410 may enlarge a popupwindow 470 and display the enlarged popup window on the screen 420. Inorder to enlarge the popup window to the maximum as illustrated, thecontroller 110 may maximally enlarge the popup window through theattribute changing menu 447 and 457 in FIGS. 4B to 4G, respectively, ora drag using a touch or a hovering event input by a user. The shape ofthe attribute changing menus 447 and 457 in FIGS. 4B and 4G may bedifferent from that of an attribute changing menu 478 in FIG. 4H. Theuser may determine through the different shapes of the attributechanging menus whether a size of the current popup window is at themaximum or whether the popup window may be further enlarged. Informationincluded in the popup window 470 displayed on the screen 420 may includea sender's photo 471, sender's name and phone number 472, a receptionmenu 474, a speaker menu 475, a rejection message menu 476, and arejection menu 477. Further, as described above, the popup window 470may include a sender's additional information 473 in addition to theinformation included in the popup windows of FIGS. 4B to 4G. Forexample, when a size of the popup window 470 of FIG. 4H is larger thanthat of the popup windows 440, 450 and 460 of FIGS. 4B to 4G, thecontroller 110 may include, in the popup window 470, the sender'sadditional information 473 in addition to the information included inthe popup windows 440, 450 and 460 of FIGS. 4B to 4G. The additionalinformation 473 may be personal information of the sender and previouslyappointment information for the sender. For example, the additionalinformation may include a sender's personal information (e.g., asender's birthday, information on a schedule by appointment with asender, and the like). When an event is received from the sender, theuser may be reminded of an appointment with the sender through theadditional information 473. When a call is received as illustrated inFIG. 4H, before starting the call, the user may recognize that thesender's birthday is on July 27 and he has promised to meet with thesender at Gangnam at 7 P.M. on September 5. Although the additionalinformation is displayed at a lower side of the sender's photo 471 inFIG. 4H, this is only an embodiment and the additional information maybe displayed in any area on the screen 420. The controller 110 mayinclude at least one piece of information in the popup windowcorresponding to the enlarged popup window.

FIGS. 5A to 5C illustrate various examples of controlling a call in apopup window displayed in response to call reception while anapplication according to an embodiment of the present invention is beingdisplayed.

FIG. 5A is a screen view illustrating an example in which a popup windowis displayed during a voice call while an application according to anembodiment of the present invention is being displayed.

Referring to FIG. 5A, when an event is received while an application 540is being displayed, an electronic device 510 according to an embodimentof the present invention displays a popup window 530 corresponding tothe received event. When a reception menu for starting a voice call isselected through the displayed popup window 530, the popup window 520may be displayed on the whole screen 515, as shown in FIG. 5A. The popupwindow 520 includes at least one piece of information, such as asender's photo 521, and a sender's name and phone number 522. Further,the popup window 530 may include at least one of a recording menu 531for recording a voice during the call, a dial menu 532 for displaying akeypad during the call, an ending menu 533 for ending the call, aspeaker menu 534 for performing the call through a speaker, atransmission sound interrupting menu 535 for interrupting a transmissionsound, and a temporary suspension menu 536 for temporarily suspendingthe call. Further, the popup window 520 may include additionalinformation on a user and an attribute changing menu 537. At least oneof a size and a location of the popup window 520 may be changed oradjusted through the attribute changing menu. Although the popup windowis displayed on the whole screen 515 in FIG. 5A, this is only anembodiment. In other embodiments of the present invention, the popupwindow 520 may be displayed on the screen while being decreased in sizeand a display location of the popup window may be adjusted. Theapplication may be displayed on a lower layer of the popup window 520.

FIG. 5B is a screen view illustrating another example in which a popupwindow is displayed during a voice call while an application accordingto an embodiment of the present invention is being displayed.

Referring to FIG. 5B, an electronic device 510 according to anembodiment of the present invention may display a popup window 550during a voice call while displaying an application 540 on a screen 515.The popup window 550 may perform at least one of size enlargement, sizereduction, and location movement through an attribute changing menu 558.The popup window 550 of which the attribute has been changed may includea sender's photo 551 and a sender's name and phone number and mayinclude at least one of a recording menu 552 for recording a voiceduring the call, a dial menu 553 for displaying a keypad during thecall, an ending menu 554 for ending the call, a speaker menu 555 forperforming the call through a speaker, a transmission sound interruptingmenu 556 for interrupting a transmission sound, and a temporarysuspension menu 557 for temporarily suspending the call. Further, thepopup window 550 may be moved to a point or an area on the screen 515,may be enlarged or reduced, and may be translucently displayed asillustrated in FIGS. 4B to 4G. When the popup window 550 istranslucently displayed, an area of the application 540 corresponding tothe popup window 550 may also be translucently displayed.

FIG. 5C is a screen view illustrating an example of a selection resultof a rejection message menu in a popup window while an applicationaccording to an embodiment of the present invention is being displayed.

Referring to FIG. 5C, an electronic device 510 according to anembodiment of the present invention may display a popup window 560 forreceiving a selection of various rejection messages in response to aselection of a rejection message menu in a popup window, whiledisplaying an application 540. The popup window 560 includes informationrepresenting various situations so as to transmit a text messageinforming the sender that a call cannot be made now to the sender, whenthe call is received. For example, when a user wants to transmit a textmessage “I will call you later due to driving.”, if the user selects afirst menu 561, a controller 110 transmits the text message includingthis situation to a sender. Further, when the user wants to transmit atext message “I will call you later due to being in class.”, if the userselects a second menu 562, the controller 110 transmits the text messageincluding this situation to the sender. Moreover, when the user wants totransmit a text message “I cannot answer the call now. Please call melater.”, if the user selects a third menu 563, the controller 110transmits the text message including this situation to the sender. Thepopup window 560 may include information representing other varioussituations as well as the aforementioned situations, and a user maydirectly add contents to be transmitted. The popup window 560 may bemoved to another point or an area on the screen 515, may be enlarged orreduced, and may be translucently displayed as illustrated in FIGS. 4Bto 4G. When the popup window 560 is translucently displayed, an area ofthe application 540 corresponding to the popup window 560 may also betranslucently displayed.

As described above, the present invention provides an electronic deviceand a method for controlling a screen, which can provide effectivemulti-tasking to users.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, anexecuted application is displayed on a screen and when reception of anevent is detected, a popup window including at least one piece ofinformation corresponding to the received event is displayed on thedisplayed application, whereby users can simultaneously perform a taskbefore the reception of the event and a task corresponding to the event.

Furthermore, according to another embodiment of the present invention,an executed application is displayed on a screen, a popup windowincluding at least one piece of information is generated in response toreception of an event, and the generated popup window is displayed onthe displayed application, whereby personal information of a user havingtransmitted the event can be grasped before the event is accepted.Moreover, according to another embodiment of the present invention, aprevious task in progress can be continuously performed even when avoice call is received, thereby providing more effective multi-tasking.

It will be appreciated that the embodiments of the present invention maybe implemented in a form of hardware, software, or a combination ofhardware and software. Any such software may be stored, for example, ina volatile or nonvolatile storage device such as a ROM, a memory such asa RAM, a memory chip, a memory device, or a memory IC, or a recordableoptical or magnetic medium such as a CD, a DVD, a magnetic disk, or amagnetic tape, regardless of its ability to be erased or its ability tobe re-recorded. It is appreciated that the storage unit included in theelectronic device is one example of a program including commands forimplementing various embodiments of the present disclosure or amachine-readable storage medium suitable for storing programs.Therefore, embodiments of the present invention provide a programincluding codes for implementing a system or method claimed in any claimof the accompanying claims and a machine-readable device for storingsuch a program. Moreover, such a program as described above can beelectronically transferred through an arbitrary medium such as acommunication signal transferred through cable or wireless connection,and the present invention properly includes the things equivalent tothat.

Further, the electronic device may receive the program from a programproviding apparatus connected to the electronic device wirelessly orthrough a wire and store the received program. The program providingdevice may include a program including instructions allowing theelectronic device to perform the method of controlling the screen, amemory for storing information required for the screen control method, acommunication unit for performing wired or wireless communication withthe electronic device, and a controller transmitting a correspondingprogram to the electronic device according to a request of theelectronic device or automatically.

Meanwhile, although certain embodiments of the present invention havebeen described in the detailed description of the present invention,various modifications can be made without departing from the scope ofthe present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present inventionshould not be limited to the aforementioned embodiments, but should bedefined by the equivalents to the appended claims as well as the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of controlling a screen of an electronic device, the method comprising: displaying an executed application on the screen; detecting reception of an event including one of a voice call, a video call, and a text message from another electronic device; and displaying a popup window comprising at least one piece of information corresponding to the received event, wherein the popup window is translucently or opaquely displayed on the displayed application, and wherein a display location of data comprised in the displayed application is adjusted on the screen to display the data in a remaining area other than an area where the popup window is displayed, in response to movement of the popup window, wherein the display location of the data comprised in the displayed application is determined based on translucency or opacity of the popup window.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application and the popup window are simultaneously displayed on the screen while displaying the popup window on the displayed application.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the popup window is displayed on the displayed application while overlapping the displayed application.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the popup window is adjusted by at least one of size enlargement, size reduction, and location movement on the screen.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the popup window is translucently displayed such that data of the displayed application overlapping with the popup window is viewable.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein data of the displayed application corresponding to an area of the displayed popup window is displayed in a remaining area other than the area where the popup window is translucently displayed.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the popup window comprises additional information of a user having transmitted the event when a command to enlarge a size of the popup window is received.
 8. A method of controlling a screen of an electronic device, the method comprising: displaying an executed application on the screen; generating a popup window comprising at least one piece of information in response to reception of an event including one of a voice call, a video call, and a text message from another electronic device; and displaying the popup window on the displayed application, wherein the popup window is translucently or opaquely displayed on the displayed application, and wherein a display location of data comprised in the displayed application is adjusted on the screen to display the data in a remaining area other than an area where the popup window is displayed, in response to movement of the popup window, wherein the display location of the data comprised in the displayed application is determined based on translucency or opacity of the popup window.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the executed application and the popup window are simultaneously displayed on the screen while displaying the popup window on the displayed application.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the popup window is adjusted by at least one of size enlargement, size reduction, and location movement, and is displayed on the displayed application while overlapping the displayed application.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein information comprised in the popup window in response to a command to enlarge or reduce a size of the popup window is mutually different.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein information comprised in the enlarged popup window comprises information displayed in the popup window and additional information of a user having transmitted the event, when the command comprises the command to enlarge the size of the popup window.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the display location of the data is not changed and the data is translucently displayed when the popup window is translucently displayed, and the data is displayed on a lower side of the popup window when the popup window is opaquely displayed.
 14. An electronic device for controlling a screen, comprising: a screen that displays at least one application; and a controller configured to detect reception of an event, generate a popup window comprising at least one piece of information corresponding to the received event including one of a voice call, a video call, and a text message from another electronic device, and display the popup window on the displayed application, wherein the controller translucently or opaquely displays the popup window on the displayed application, and wherein a display location of data comprised in the displayed application is adjusted on the screen to display the data in a remaining area other than an area where the popup window is displayed, in response to movement of the popup window, wherein the display location of the data comprised in the displayed application is determined based on translucency or opacity of the popup window.
 15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the controller displays the popup window together with the application on the screen.
 16. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the controller translucently displays data of the displayed application corresponding to an area of the displayed popup window or displays the data in a remaining area other than the area where the popup window is displayed.
 17. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the controller changes an attribute of at least one of the popup window and an area of the application corresponding to an area of the popup window in response to a command to control the popup window.
 18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the controller enlarges a size of the popup window and the enlarged popup window comprises information displayed in the displayed popup window and additional information of a user having transmitted the event, when the command comprises a command to enlarge the size of the popup window.
 19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the controller translucently displays data of the displayed application corresponding to an area of the enlarged popup window or displays the data in a remaining area other than the area of the enlarged popup window.
 20. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the controller moves a location of the popup window, and translucently displays data of the displayed application corresponding to an area of the moved popup window or displays the data in a remaining area other than the area of the moved popup window, when the command comprises a command to move the location of the popup window.
 21. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the controller removes the displayed popup window and performs the voice call while displaying the application, when the received event comprises the voice call and a command to perform the voice call through a speaker is input.
 22. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the controller displays the popup window at a point other than a detected arbitrary point, when an input by a touch or hovering is detected at the arbitrary point on the displayed application.
 23. A method of controlling a screen of an electronic device, the method comprising: displaying an executed application on the screen; detecting reception of an event including one of a voice call, a video call, and a text message from another electronic device; and displaying a popup window comprising at least one piece of information corresponding to the received event translucently or opaquely on the displayed application, wherein the popup window is translucently or opaquely displayed on the displayed application, and is simultaneously displayed on the screen while displaying the popup window on the displayed application, and wherein a display location of data comprised in the displayed application is adjusted on the screen to display the data in a remaining area other than an area where the popup window is displayed, in response to movement of the popup window, wherein the display location of the data comprised in the displayed application is determined based on translucency or opacity of the popup window. 